Verbatim Corporation joined its parent company, Mitsubishi Kagaku Media (Verbatim/MKM) today in announcing that it will begin shipping 2X speed Blu-ray write-once (BD-R) and rewritable (BD-RE) media in July. Verbatim's new BD media products are produced in the same familiar bare disc form as a standard DVD disc.

With capacity of 25GB on a single layer, the next-generation BD media provides five times the capacity of a standard single layer DVD. Verbatim BD media is produced at MKM's optical disc manufacturing facility in Mizushima, Japan. The Mizushima factory is known for its expertise in producing 30GB Ultra Density Optical (UDO) discs. The UDO media, which is also based on blue laser technology, is widely used in mission-critical optical libraries for legal, financial, healthcare and government applications.

To optimize the performance and reliability of its BD-R media, Verbatim needed a recording layer that would be highly sensitive to the blue laser but resistant to sunlight, heat and humidity. MKM responded by developing a new metal nitride recording layer with an exceptionally wide power margin. This ensures quality recording on the entire disc surface, regardless of drive power fluctuations or smudges on the disc surface. The breakthroughs achieved with the new recording layer technology will also be an advantage as Verbatim prepares for the launch of higher speed and Dual Layer (DL) 50GB Blu-ray media in the near future.

Like its BD-R media, Verbatim's BD-RE media has an exceptionally wide power margin to achieve stable noise-free recording. To deliver high-speed rewritable performance, Verbatim BD-RE media is produced with a technology based on Super Eutectic Recording Layer (SERL) technology, the proprietary phase-change recording layer technology developed by MKM and proven in Verbatim's earlier DVD+RW and DVD-RW media. Fine-tuned for next-generation Blu-ray media, the new recording layer enhances the media's read/write performance and longevity, ensuring that repeated recording and playback will not cause any deterioration in picture or sound quality.

By combining the SERL-based recording technology with MKM's precision stamper and precision molding technologies during the manufacturing process, Verbatim BD-RE media provides a high level of stability during recording and playback. Proprietary Hard Coat Protection To protect the cartridge-free BD media from scratches, fingerprints and dust particles which can cause recording and playback errors, Verbatim BD discs have the added protection of a proprietary hard-coat finish. Similar to the surface-coating technology found in touch-panel displays and scratch-resistant eyeglass lenses, the hybrid organic/inorganic coating technology developed by MKM protects the recording layer without warping the disc. This new hard-coat layer has demonstrated superior anti-static and anti-scratch properties versus competitors' products.

Verbatim/MKM is a contributing member of the Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA).